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The Cyprus K-12 Education System

The Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus administers the K-12 education system in Cyprus. The K-12 education system in Cyprus has three levels:

Pre-primary

Primary

Secondary

In Cyprus, compulsory education last for 9 years and is free of charge at state schools. Education in Cyprus is mandatory from primary educational level to the conclusion of the 3rd year of lower secondary school.

Understanding K-12 Education System

Pre-Primary Education

Pre-primary education in Cyprus is imparted by nursery schools and kindergartens. In Cyprus, there are both public and private nursery schools.

Pre-primary education work towards the emotional, moral, intellectual, aesthetic and social development of the child. It also prepares children for primary educational level.

Ages: 3 to 5 8/12 years

Pre-primary education in Cyprus is made compulsory for 1 year (for ages 4 8/12 to 5 8/12 ) before the child enters the primary school.

Types of Nursery Schools

Public nursery schools: These schools are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus, working in cooperation with community authorities and parent’s associations. The public Pre-primary schools are as follows:

Schools with 1 Pre-primary teacher

Schools with 2 Pre-primary teachers

Schools with 3 or more Pre-Primary teachers

Communal nursery schools: These schools are managed by local authorities and parent’s associations, and are authorised by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) of the Republic of Cyprus. These operate mostly along with the public nursery schools.

Ages: 3 - 4 8/12 years

Private nursery schools: These schools are set up and owned privately. These schools run as per the Cyprus Private Schools' Law of 1971. All the private nursery schools are approved by the MOEC of the Republic of Cyprus.

Class Size of Pre-primary

25 children per class

Study Costs

Pre-primary education in Cyprus for children above 4 years and 8 months is free of charge.

Public nursery schools: Children whose age is between 3 years and 4 years 8 months are needed to pay a monthly fee that is determined by the Minister of Education and Culture (MOEC) and the Ministry of finance (MOF).

Communal nursery schools: The monthly fee at the communal nursery schools is determined by the parents’ association and depends on the service hours the nursery school provides. The fees at the communal nursery school are lower than the private nursery school.

Private nursery schools: The fees vary depending on the area and session- morning or afternoon.

Registration Process

All the children irrespective of their nationality or country, who are permanently or temporarily staying in Cyprus, can register at public nursery schools.

registrationat public nursery schools in Cyprus is done in January. The registration dates are declared by the MOEC. The registration forms can be taken from the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) website or from the respective public nursery school. Final results are declared in April or May and parents are informed about the same by post.

Documentation-

Completely filled in application form MOEC 11 for children aged 4 years and 8 months

Completely filled application form MOEC 30 for children aged 3-4 years and 8 months

Registration fee

2 utility bills which has a home address

Birth certificate

Passport (for international student)

Primary Education

Primary education in Cyprus is compulsory to attend for all the children aged 5 8/12 years.

Duration: 6 years

Ages: 6 to 12

This educational level is free of cost at state schools. Private primary schools do charge fees which vary depending on the school.

In Cyprus, any village or town that has over 15 children aged 5 years and 8 months has a primary school.

In the smaller cities, primary schools having population of approximately 39, there are classes of multiple grades. Such areas have:

1-teacher schools for a student population up to 19

2-teacher schools for a maximum of 39 students

In urban regions primary schools, each class is single-grade. The primary education is divided into two cycles:

Cycle A: This cycle is for children aged 6 to 8 years and comprises of grades 1 to 3

Cycle B: This cycle is for children aged 9 to 12 years and comprises of grades 4 to 6.

Certificate awarded: Upon successful completion of primary education, a primary school leaving certificate is awarded.

The student population in different types of primary schools in Cyprus is determined by the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus.

Private primary schools: These schools are established and regulated by the Law for Private Primary Schools of 1971 and its related amendments and are classified into 3 types: same, similar and different type. These schools have two sessions- morning and afternoon.

Registration Process

Registration at primary schools in Cyprus is done in January over a two day period. The registration dates are declared by the MOEC.

Documentation

Completely filled in application form MOEC 11

Registration fee

2 utility bills which has a home address

Birth certificate

Passport (for international student)

Completed application form MOEC 11

Birth certificate

Student certificate: This certificate is given by the pre-primary nursery school

Primary School Schedule

Class timings: Starts at 7:45 am and ends at 1:05 pm. Some schools run until 4:00 pm from October to May on voluntary basis with 4 extra afternoon classes for students of 4th, 5th and 6th standard.

Secondary Education

In Cyprus, there is secondary general education and secondary technical and vocational education. Secondary education at public schools in Cyprus is free for all pupils.

Secondary General Education

Students must hold a primary school leaving certificate in order to gain admittance into the secondary education.

Total duration: 6 years

Ages: 12 to 18

Secondary general education is divided into two cycles:

Gymnasia cycle- Lower secondary education

Lykeio cycle- Upper secondary education

Secondary Education Schedule

School Timings: 7:30 am to 13:35pm

School week: 5-day week that starts from Monday and goes on until Friday

No. of classes: 7 classes, each of 45 minutes

School year: The school academic year commences in September and concludes in June. The school year is divided into 3 trimesters:

Commences in September and ends in December

Starts in December and ends in March

Starts in March and ends in May

Lower Secondary Education (Gymnasium)

Lower secondary education in Cyprus is compulsory to attend. At the lower secondary schools, the main emphasis is on the general humanistic studies. The Gymnasium prepares pupils for lyceum or technical and vocational education and training.

Assessment: Students are evaluated on the basis of homework, oral test, revision test, creative projects and written examinations. Final exam is held in June and covers following subjects: Mathematics, natural science, Modern Greek, chemistry, history and physics. The written exams are evaluated on a scale of 1-20

Score 19-20 indicates “Excellent” and grade A is given

Score 16-18 indicates “Very good” and corresponds to B

Score 13-15 indicates “Good” and grade C is given

Score 10-12 indicates “Satisfactory” and corresponds to D

Score 1-9 indicates “Poor” and grade E is given

Certificate awarded: Upon successful completion of the lower secondary education, a school leaving certificate is given to pupils.

Upper Secondary Education (Lykeio/Unified Lyceum)

Students must have completed gymnasium in order to gain admission into the Lykeio/Lyceum cycle.

Duration: 3 years

Ages: 15 to 18

This educational level is optional and provides several specialisations depending on the interest, bent and skills of the pupils.

The upper secondary schools are of 2 types:

Eniaio Lykeio

Technical and Vocational schools

Upper Secondary School (Eniaio Lykeio)

Students who have finished lower secondary education are eligible for upper secondary school.

Duration: 3 years

Ages: 15 to 18

Certificate awarded: Upon successful completion of the upper secondary education- Lykeio, a secondary school leaving certificate- Apolytition is awarded to students and they can apply for higher education in Cyprus.

Secondary Technical and Vocational Education

Students must hold a lower secondary completion certification for admission into the secondary technical and vocational education. Secondary technical and vocational education provides theoretical as well as practical knowledge.

Students who graduate from secondary technical and vocational education are eligible to apply for higher education in Cyprus or for employment.

Certificate awarded: Students are awarded a school leaving certificate- Apolyterion.

School Year

The school year in Cyprus commences in September (first Monday) and ends in June. The academic year of schools is divided into three terms with holidays in summer, the Christmas and New Year and the Greek Orthodox Easter period in spring.

Secondary school holidays dates vary depending on the district. To know about the exact vacation dates for primary schools in Cyprus, click here.